The Idiot took a number of photographs during his MedTrek from the Syria border down the coasts of Lebanon and Israel to Gaza. He deemed some a bit too sensitive to post while he was in the Middle East, especially the ones of the Internal Security Forces agent who arrested him for spying in Lebanon and a sign forbidding him to take photographs of military areas in Israel.

Now that he’s safely back in the United States, he’s happy to share some of these sensitive shots.

The Idiot asked the Internal Security Forces agent who arrested him for suspected spying on a beach north of Tyre in Lebanon to prove that he was actually an undercover cop. The agent produced a photo ID and allowed The Idiot to photograph it.

The Idiot later promised his Internal Security Forces interrogators at HQ in Beirut, who went through all of the photos on his iPhone to determine if he was a spy, that he would not reveal the agent’s identity. Hence the cropped photo.

Frequent signs in Israeli military zones warn MedTrekkers that it is forbidden to take photographs. The Idiot, since he began the MedTrek 17 years ago, always gets a kick out of taking pictures of these signs in every country he visits.

The Idiot constantly ignores signs that tell him “Photographs Forbidden.”

It is against the law to take photographs of military buildings in Lebanon — and The Idiot didn’t — but his iPhone contained numerous shots of military guard posts, barbed wire fences, tanks and soldiers that upset his interrogators when he was questioned at the Internal Security Forces headquarters in Beirut.

The Internal Security Forces were very upset that The Idiot took this shot of sweaty troops on a 100-kilometer hike on the Mediterranean Sea. He replied that “they were on a public road and no one told me not to photograph them.” Of course, no one noticed him taking the photo.

Paradoxically solders in Israel are much more laid back and some even willingly pose for photos, like this 20-year-old soldier south of Tel Aviv.

This young Israeli soldier happily spoke to The Idiot about the situation at the border between Israel and Gaza.

It’s always a bit dicey to take photographs of border crossings but no one noticed The Idiot shooting the Lebanon/Syria, Israel/Lebanon or Israel/Gaza borders.

The quiet border on the Mediterranean Sea between Lebanon and Syria.

The sign at the seaside Israel/Lebanon border, which is closed to public traffic, reads “Closed Military Area – Photography Is Forbidden.”

The well-patrolled border between Israel and Gaza.

Next week: More Idiot-ic photographs illustrate contrasts between Lebanon and Israel.

Follow

About Joel

Joel Stratte-McClure has been a global trekker since the 1970s. He lived in France for over 30 years, working as a journalist, before he turned his attention to a unique life-time-project of walking the shores of the Mediterranean. The first 4,401 kilometers are explored in his inspirational and entertaining first book "The Idiot and the Odyssey: Walking the Mediterranean." The next 4,401 kilometers are covered in the gods-filled sequel, "The Idiot and the Odyssey II: Myth, Madness and Magic on the Mediterranean,” published on Valentine's Day 2013. The last 4,401 kilometers will be discussed in the last book of the trilogy currently entitled "The Idiot and the Odyssey III: Alexander the Great Walks the Mediterranean."